SHREVEPORT – The decision that sparked a movement.
Mamie Till-Mobley made a decision to open the funeral (and the casket) of her 14-year-old son Emmett Till, a Chicago boy who was brutally murdered while visiting family in rural Mississippi in 1955.
Till allegedly whistled at a young white woman who ran the shop that he and relatives entered in Money, Miss. That led to the woman’s husband and a friend to track Till down several days later, beating him in a barn before shooting him and sinking his body in the Tallahatchie River.
Her son’s murder, and her decision to “want the world to see,” was a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement to follow.
Mamie Till-Mobley and playwright David Barr III co-wrote the play “The Face of Emmett Till,” which will be featured Feb. 26 at the LSUS Theatre at 10 a.m.
“The play tells the story of Emmett Till and the aftermath, maybe with a different angle of appreciating the facts than what’s in most history books,” said Dr. Kenna Franklin, assistant professor and associate vice chancellor for community engagement. “What I want students to walk away with was that Emmett Till was 14 years old, and he had nothing beyond that.
“These students have everything in front of them. (Till) has sponsored your ability to dream big, and I hope they do dream big.”
No ticket cost is associated for the play, which is directed by Shreveport resident Vincent Williams and casts local actors. The community is invited to attend. The LSUS Office of Community Engagement is sponsoring the performance.
Local high school students from across Caddo Parish will be in attendance to learn about Till’s impact. A luncheon after the play will be provided for those students, who will discuss the play as well as topics surrounding attending college.
Shreveport native Tyhlar Holliway will present her book “Navigating the Maze: The High Schooler’s Roadmap to College Readiness” to identify and remove possible roadblocks to college education.
Two months after Till’s death in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Ala., which set off the 13-month Montgomery Bus Boycott to protest racial segregation on public buses.
Parks said Till was a factor in her decision, and that boycott started the rise of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King.
The year 2025 is 70 years since Till’s death, and the play debuted in 2005 for the 50th anniversary.
Franklin said not only is the play meant to educate this generation about a foundational event that led to the Civil Rights Movement, it’s about inspiring young people to take positive steps in their own lives.
“I want this opportunity to challenge them to dream their best life -- what that would look like,” Franklin said. “I hope this helps them take stock of where they are and who they are.
“Hopefully higher education is the next step they take. I want to assure them that LSUS represents a place that can take them from where they are to where they need to be professionally. Opportunity and access exist right here.”
For more information about the event, contact The Office of Community Engagement at LSUS at 318-797-5084.
